Don't Pop Pills to Drop Weight

by Diane Lofshult

Food for Thought:

That’s the advice from researchers in the United Kingdom who recently reviewed the body of scientific literature on the effectiveness of dietary supplements in losing weight.

Reporting in the April issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study authors describe how they systematically reviewed the results of randomized, double-blind trials involving weight loss and common, over-the-counter weight loss aids. The supplements studied included chitosan; chromium picolinate; Ephedra sinica; Garcinia cambogia; glucomannan; guar gum; hydroxy-methylbutyrate; Plantago psyllium; pyruvate; yerba maté; and yohimbe.

According to the researchers, the data for all but one of the supplements reviewed provided no evidence of product effectiveness in reducing body weight. The exception was ephedra (and related products containing ephedrine), which was recently banned by the Food and Drug Administration after numerous consumer complaints about adverse health effects.

“The evidence for most dietary supplements as aids in reducing body weight is not convincing,” say the study authors. “None of the reviewed dietary supplements can be recommended for over-the-counter use.”